Because of you, the Treatment of Ten fundraising campaign is becoming a success.

We’ve raised almost enough funds to send one Combat Veteran to our medical facility in Idaho so that he can receive the treatments and therapies that he needs. Now, we need to send the other nine!

To do that, we’ve extended the campaign until Memorial Day because we’re determined to follow Hack’s “orders” to take care of his men and women who are forever on the tip of the sword, whether it be physically when in combat or mentally when at home. These ten Broncos whom we’re committed to help heal are struggling with Traumatic Brain Injury and /or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder here at home, constantly reliving their tours in Iraq!

I’ve been reading some statistics, old and new that have re-broken my heart:

• Two-thirds of homeless Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in one major sample had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — a much higher rate than in earlier cohorts of homeless veterans, who have PTSD rates between 8 percent and 13 percent, according to a study in press in the journal Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. (http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/03/ptsd-vets.aspx)

• One early study looked at the mental health of service members in Afghanistan and Iraq. The study asked Soldiers and Marines about war-zone experiences and about their symptoms of distress. Soldiers and Marines in Iraq reported more combat stressors than Soldiers in Afghanistan. This table describes the kinds of stressors faced in each combat theater in 2003:

• Thousands of men and women continue to risk their lives in the United States military to protect the freedom of citizens like me. Their psychological and physical well-being of every human being is important. It is particularly important to care for those who get injured while protecting all of us. Why not reach out and help us today to at least take care of our first cohort of 5 who served and sacrificed.
(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/curious/201409/11-reasons-combat-veterans-ptsd-are-being-harmed)

Let’s keep the needle moving. Please give today to help send the Broncos to Idaho.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) frequently occurs after the experience of traumatic events such as wars, disasters, acute medical events, and domestic violence. It is known as the signature disorder of combat and disaster. Lifetime prevalence PTSD is substantial, estimated as approximately 8% in the United States, with a prevalence of about 4% in any given year Among U.S. military personnel, frequently exposed to traumatic events, PTSD rates are even higher ranging from 19% to 22%. Military personnel are at higher risk for experiencing traumatic events, including exposure to combat, injury, loss, captivity, and sexual abuse. Consequently, PTSD is a common syndrome among veterans, and is frequently associated with functional impairment. Veterans with PTSD often suffer from a wide range of additional psychiatric symptoms including depression and substance and alcohol abuse.

PTSD symptoms are often persistent and disabling unless there is a timely targeted intervention. Symptoms of PTSD are wide-ranging and can affect trauma-exposed people in a number of debilitating ways. They include re-experiencing of the traumatic event (including intrusive thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks), avoidance of thoughts of the traumatic event and people, places, or other stimuli that evokes the trauma, changes in cognitions such regarding the world and yourself, hypervigilance, hyperarousal (including irritability, concentration difficulties, and disrupted sleep), and increases in troubling thoughts and negative feelings. PTSD is commonly associated with functional impairment, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and increased utilization of medical care.

While a number of psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies for PTSD have been developed, research has consistently shown that more than one-third of PTSD patients never fully remit, even if treated. Meta-analysis of psychotherapy for PTSD has found short-term improvements compared to baseline only in about 50% to 60% of patients, with the majority continuing to have substantial residual symptoms. The efficacy of medication in PTSD is also unclear, with a critical lack of advancement in the psychopharmacologic treatment of the disorder. Only 20–30% of PTSD patients experience a complete remission following pharmacotherapy. Importantly, research has shown that among military personnel with PTSD, treatment reach is low to moderate, with a high percentage of service members not accessing care or not receiving adequate treatment.

Researchers in the field have raised a call to action to validate novel interventions that will improve treatment engagement and retention among veterans and family members. Here I would like to highlight three promising treatments that may address some of the above problems.

Attention-Bias Modification Treatment for PTSD: Emerging research has demonstrated a relationship between biased attention to threat and PTSD. Attention-bias relates to how people focus their attention; research shows that people with high levels of anxiety tend to focus on negative information in their environment. This knowledge has motivated the development of a novel therapy, attention-bias modification treatment (ABMT), currently provided at Columbia Psychiatry thanks to the generous support of SFTT. ABMT is designed to modify patients’ threat bias, i.e., change their attentional habits, with the use of a computer program. Participants with PTSD and attention bias towards or away from threat (documented by the dot probe task) undergo a 4-week (8-sessions) course of ABMT or an inactive Attention Control Program. Findings from this study are about to be published in the near future.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for PTSD: Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is a time-limited, evidence-based treatment, has previously shown efficacy in treating major depressive disorder and other psychiatric conditions. Rather than focusing on the trauma, as in exposure based treatments, IPT focuses on the patient’s current life events and social and interpersonal functioning for understanding and treating symptoms. This treatment currently provided at Columbia Veterans Center, is a novel use of IPT as treatment for PTSD. Evidence from studies conducted at Columbia Psychiatry suggests IPT may relieve PTSD symptoms without focusing on exposure to trauma reminders. Hence, IPT offers an alternative for patients who avoid or do not respond to exposure-based approaches. Interpersonal Psychotherapy focuses on two problem areas that specifically affect patients with PTSD: interpersonal difficulties and affect dysregulation. The treatment help the patient identify and address problematic affects and interpersonal functioning, and to monitor treatment response.

Equine Assisted Treatment for PTSD. Equine-Assisted Therapy for PTSD (EAT-TSD) is a unique, group treatment that might reduce symptoms of PTSD, particularly individuals who encounter difficulty in more traditional treatments. In EAT-PTSD, a mental health professional and an equine specialist work together to guide participants with PTSD through a series of structured activities with a horse. Presently this treatment is studied at Columbia Psychiatry as part of the Man O War Project . It is an eight-week study aimed to examine how well EAT-PTSD works for veterans with PTSD. Treatment groups consist of 4-6 veterans at a time. 90-minute EAT sessions take place at the Bergen Equestrian Center in Leonia, New Jersey. Columbia Psychiatry provides transportation to treatment sessions. Treatment does not include riding horses. Through various interactive exercises with the horses, the veterans learn how their actions, intentions, expectations, and tone have an impact on their relationship with the horses (and ultimately with the people in their lives). Over the course of treatment, the equine specialist and the mental health professional assist veterans in drawing connections between what the horses may be doing, thinking, or feeling, and their own PTSD symptoms, increasing emotional awareness and ability to regulate emotions and behaviors, and learning to more effectively interact with the horses, and by extension other people as well.

Contributed by Dr. Yuval Neria
Stand For The Troops Special Medical Advisor
Professor of Medical Psychology, Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology
Research Scientist, The New York State Psychiatric Institute
Director of Trauma and PTSD Program, The New York State Psychiatric Institute
Director of Columbia-NYP Military Family Wellness Center
College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University Medical Center

Dr. David Shulkin has been pushed aside (read fired) as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”). Without taking sides in what appears to be yet another partisan issue, Dr. Shulkin did a reasonably good job in bailing water in a sinking ship: the VA.

As such, it was with regret that we read Dr. David Shulkin’s self-serving departure editorial in the New York Times “it should not be this hard to serve your country.” Indeed, many Veterans poorly served by the VA have felt the same. But these Veterans, with a legitimate claim were rarely afforded space in the editorial section of the New York Times to discuss their grievances.

The title of the New York’s editorial says it all: “David J. Shulkin: Privatizing the V.A. Will Hurt Veterans“. I am not sure that Dr. Shulkin would have titled his departure editorial this way, but clearly, the New York Times, David Shulkin and J. David Fox, the President of the American Federation of Government Employees, agree that privatizing the VA will harm Veterans.

SFTT is unaware of any compelling evidence that providing “privatized” care to Veterans would jeopardize the mission of the VA or add to the difficulties of Veterans. Indeed, J. David Fox, seems more concerned about the rights of unionized VA employees than he does about Veterans.

While it is easier to frame the discussion as a debate about the merits of public or private healthcare, SFTT has long argued that the VA is simply Too Big to Succeed. It never has been a question of “ownership” or “control,” it is simply a case of an institution that has become too large to manage effectively. With over 18 million Veterans, it is unlikely that an overwhelming majority would agree that the VA is provides services that are “second to none.”

In fact, Dr. Shulkin claims that “the percent of veterans who have regained trust in V.A. services has risen to 70 percent, from 46 percent four years ago. This is not exactly a ringing endorsement on how well the VA is fulfilling its mission.

There are many areas of the VA that fulfill President Abraham Lincoln’s promise: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans.

But there are other areas in which the VA fell well short of fulfilling President Lincoln’s promise.

Specifically, SFTT has for years called into question the way the VA has treated Veterans with PTSD and TBI: “the silent wounds of war.” There is compelling evidence that the VA, through its administrators, has consistently lied to Veterans, their caregivers, Congress and the public on the effectiveness of treating Veterans with brain injury.

Political posturing on the benefits of public or private ownership doesn’t really help the hundreds of thousands of Veterans suffering from brain injury and their largely forgotten caregivers.

Changing of the guard will do little to fix the VA. Only a true bipartisan effort to address the problems of the VA will help restore confidence in an institution with far greater promise than the actual results it delivers.

Here at SFTT we’ve been busy wrapping up our 2017 initiatives and planning for an even better 2018 with new programs and partners to help Veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD).

During the past year, Stand for the Troops, the Little Organization That Could and Has, hit a major milestone — we turned 20! Twenty, old enough to be a combat soldier which, in many ways we are. SFTT is at war helping American Veterans combat invisible war wounds.

In 2017, we fought for — and aided — our Veterans who suffer from TBI and PTSD by:

Securing educational grants 2017 for west coast Veterans wanting to pursue a career in sustainable agriculture and presently, a 2018 grant to continue this program is being reviewed. We’re also working to expand this program to make it available to Veterans on the east coast.

Helping fund Attention-Bias Modification Treatment for PTSD research at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute by supporting the Principal Investigator, Dr. Yuval Neria. Dr. Neria’s other related projects establish innovative trauma care for Veterans and their family members, such as Man of War Project & Military Family Wellness Center.

Working in concert with the Knights of Columbus on The Frank Robotti Golf Classic where we raised awareness and funds for service dogs. We’ll be awarding money to a local service dog program soon.

In 2018 we plan to continue this good work while introducing a program that focuses on our co-founder, Col. David “Hack” Hackworth’s commitment to safeguarding frontline soldiers with more than lip service. Our new treatment plan, unveiled in the next few weeks, integrates proven medical and wellness therapies to effectively treat combat-related traumatic brain injury.

There was a time when many considered Al Jazeera to be a voice of Middle Eastern terrorists. Whether it was or not is a matter of conjecture, but most would now agree that Al Jazeera has morphed into a credible news organization.

While one could nitpick some of her conclusions, it is difficult to refute the argument that within the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”) “the McDonaldisation of mental healthcare is a problem.”

” . . . if you go to any VA in the country, you’re going to probably get cognitive processing therapy or cognitive behavioural treatment (actually, prolonged exposure) because those are the evidence-based practices that they use. It’s like if you go to any McDonald’s, a cheeseburger is going to be the same.”

Yep, the VA only serves two flavors of milkshakes (chocolate and vanilla) to treat Veterans with PTSD:

Cognitive Processing Therapy, and

Prolonged Exposure Treatment.

More to the point, if the VA’s two PTSD therapy programs don’t work, its doctors are likely to prescribe a cocktail of potent drugs to keep the Veteran’s symptoms in check. This is hardly the outcome our brave warriors and their families should expect.

For an organization that prides itself on providing “evidence-based” medical treatment to Veterans, the GAO and the Rand Corporation have found that these programs resulted in negligible benefits for Veterans with PTSD. In effect, “evidence-based” medicine seems to apply to every “alternative” therapy program other than the failed programs mandated by the VA.

As distinguished members of medical profession talk about “evidence-based” medical programs to treat PTSD, one can only wonder how warriors with the symptoms of PTSD in the distant past coped without the benefit of clinical trials.

Mind you, acupuncture seems to be have successful for some 2,000 years without the benefit of clinical trials. The benefits of oxygen therapy programs have been around for centuries and there have been many documented therapy programs listed since as early as the 1930s. Nevertheless, the folks at the VA – headed-up by chief spokesperson, Dr. David Cifu – still dispute the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in treating Veterans with PTSD.

Despite efforts by Reem Shaddad and many others to expose the hypocrisy within the VA, Veterans with PTSD and TBI will need to seek help outside the VA.

SFTT is not convinced that there is a “silver bullet” to cure PTSD and TBI, but it is abundantly clear that the two PTSD therapy programs mandated by the VA are not effective. For this reason, SFTT endorses a far wider use of alternative therapy programs to provide Veterans with a “real” choice over the VA’s failed programs.

Sure, there will be some “snake-oil” peddlers and charlatans that seek to take advantage of Veterans, but it is unlikely to be nearly as severe as the opioid epidemic perpetrated by the “evidence-based” healthcare system.

Found below are a few military news items that caught my attention this past week. I am hopeful that the titles and short commentary will encourage SFTT readers to click on the embedded links to read more on subjects that may be of interest to them.

If you have subjects of topical interest, please do not hesitate to reach out. Contact SFTT at info@sftt.org.

North Korean Defector Warns of “Massive” Military Counterstrike
North Korean military officers have been trained to trigger a devastating counterstrike if their country is attacked by the United States, according to a high-profile defector. Former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong Ho’s comments to U.S. lawmakers suggest that military action on the Korean peninsula — a course of action repeatedly raised by President Donald Trump — would almost certainly result in a catastrophic number of civilian casualties. “North Korean officers are trained to press the button without any further instructions from the general command if something happens on their side,” Thae said Wednesday. “So if there is any sound of fire or bombs or strikes from Americans, the [North Korean] artillery and short-range missiles will fire against South Korea.” Read more . . .

First U.S. Airstrikes Reported Against ISIS in Somalia
The U.S. military for the first time has conducted two airstrikes against Islamic State group fighters in Somalia, where the group is a growing presence in a country long threatened by the al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabab. The U.S. Africa Command said the two drone strikes killed “several terrorists” in northeastern Somalia, with the first around midnight local time and the second later Friday morning. The U.S. said the strikes were carried out in coordination with Somalia’s government. Read more . . .

Syria Claims that Last ISIS Outpost in Syria Falls
The Syrian government declared victory over Islamic State in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Friday, a big blow to the jihadists as their last stronghold in Syria crumbles. Deir al-Zor, on the west bank of the Euphrates River, is the largest and most important city in eastern Syria, and is the center of the country’s oil production. “The armed forces, in cooperation with allied forces, liberated the city of Deir al-Zor completely from the clutches of the Daesh terrorist organization,” the military source said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Read more . . .

VA Plea for New Drugs to Treat PTSD
Reported cases of post-traumatic stress disorder are increasing, and trends indicate that growth will continue as more military men and women return from overseas service. But treatment help doesn’t appear to be coming quickly. So far in 2017, six dermatology drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but no drug has been approved for treatment of PTSD since 2001. At this point, two drugs — Paxil and Zoloft — have been given FDA approval for PTSD. The Department of Veterans Affairs created a PTSD Psychopharmacology Working Group, which has issued an urgent plea for the development and approval of new drugs for PTSD as part of a national mental health priority. Read more . . .

Ecstasy in the Loop to Treat PTSD?
In July, the Food and Drug Administration took the important step of approving two final-phase clinical trials to determine whether a party drug that has long been on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Schedule I list of banned substances could be used to treat a psychiatric condition that afflicts millions. The drug is MDMA, a psychedelic commonly known as Ecstasy, previously deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use.” The trials aim to determine whether the drug is, as earlier trials have suggested, a safe and effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, when combined with psychotherapy. Read more . . .

Eye Movement Desensitization Reduces PTSD
In a meta-analysis of clinical trials published in PLoS One, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing was shown to reduce the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a longer duration of treatment correlating with better outcomes. The study authors evaluated 26 randomized controlled trials that evaluated the use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in patients with PTSD. Outcomes included the effects of treatment on PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and subjective distress. Read more . . .

Drop me an email at info@sftt.org if you believe that there are other subjects that are newsworthy.

Found below are a few military news items that caught my attention this past week. I am hopeful that the titles and short commentary will encourage SFTT readers to click on the embedded links to read more on subjects that may be of interest to them.

If you have subjects of topical interest, please do not hesitate to reach out. Contact SFTT at info@sftt.org.

Why You May Not Know Anyone in the Military
Active-duty military now make up just 0.4 percent of the U.S. population, down from 1.8 percent in 1968 and 8.7 percent in 1945. Military personnel also tend to come from certain parts of the country more than others. Here, from the Defense Department’s most recent annual report on population representation in the military services, are the states with the most military recruits in fiscal year 2015 as a percentage of the population aged 18 through 24. Read more . . .

The US Military Presence in Africa
. . . the Niger operation typifies U.S. military missions underway in roughly 20 African countries, mostly in the northern third of the continent. They tend to be small, they are carried out largely below the radar, and most are focused on a specific aim: rolling back Islamist extremism. In almost all of the missions, the Americans are there to advise, assist and train African militaries — and not to take part in combat. Still, those supporting roles can often take U.S. forces into the field with their African partners, as was the case in Niger. Read more . . .

Al-Omar Oilfield in Syria Captured from ISIS
U.S-allied fighters said they captured Syria’s largest oil field from the Islamic State group on Sunday, marking a major advance against the extremists and seizing an area coveted by pro-government forces. With IS in retreat across Syria and neighboring Iraq, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government have been in a race to secure parts of the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province along the border. The SDF, with air support from the U.S.-led coalition, said Sunday it captured the Al-Omar field in a “swift and wide military operation.” It said some militants have taken cover in oil company houses nearby, where clashes are underway. Read more . . .

Will Dr. David Shulkin Resign as the Head of the VA?
A long-awaited overhaul of veterans’ health care is being unveiled to the world. At the helm throughout the two years of developing this roadmap has been David J. Shulkin. As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is finally on the cusp of rolling out its master plan to ensure every veteran has access to timely, quality care, the VA secretary reportedly is interviewing for another job. As the Wall Street Journal revealed Friday, the White House brought Shulkin in last week to discuss having him take over the Department of Health and Human Services, a post left vacant by the abrupt resignation of Tom Price. (VA did not confirm or deny the Journal’s reporting.) Read more . . .

Are Changes in the Wind for the VA’s CARE Program?
The VA announced that it has submitted the Veterans Coordinated Access & Rewarding Experiences (CARE) Act to both the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees. The bill would eliminate the current wait time and distance requirements under the Choice program, which limits participation to veterans who face a 30-day wait for an appointment at a VA hospital or who live 40 miles or more from a VA facility. Instead, veterans would be able to seek care outside of the VA if they face a wait that is longer than a “clinically acceptable period.” The changes would create options for veterans to use walk-in clinics for non-emergency needs and would place veterans and their physicians “at the center” of decisions on where to receive care, according to the VA. Read more . . .

Virtual Therapists for Evaluating PTSD?WHEN US TROOPS return home from a tour of duty, each person finds their own way to resume their daily lives. But they also, every one, complete a written survey called the Post-Deployment Health Assessment. It’s designed to evaluate service members’ psychiatric health and ferret out symptoms of conditions like depression and post-traumatic stress, so common among veterans. But the survey, designed to give the military insight into the mental health of its personnel, can wind up distorting it. Thing is, the PDHA isn’t anonymous, and the results go on service members’ records—which can deter them from opening up. Anonymous, paper-based surveys could help, but you can’t establish a good rapport with a series of yes/no exam questions. Veterans need somebody who can help. Somebody who can carry their secrets confidentially, and without judgement. Somebody they can trust. Read more . . .

Drop me an email at info@sftt.org if you believe that there are other subjects that are newsworthy.

Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia voices his outrage in an interview with MSNBC:

Sadly, the wake up moment for me occurs at about 4 minutes and 20 seconds into the video when Senator Manchin explains the “vetting” process used by Congressmen and Senators to approve legislation.

Basically, the take away from Senator Manchin’s interview (and several others he gave) are the following:

U.S. Legislation is written by lobbyists;

Politicians don’t read the legislation that is enacted into law unless one of their constituents or a government agency raises a “red flag;”

Complex laws are enacted by Congress and the Senate without anyone really understanding the consequences of the proposed legislation;

Government enforcement agencies are simply a training ground for future lobbyists who march to a different drummer.

Mind you, I doubt whether anyone (other than a paid lobbyist) has the tenacity to sit through 33,000 pages of regulations covered by the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).

Without getting into the merits of which party has the moral high ground, I think it is fair conclude that our system of government is out of control.

Honesty, how can Congress unanimously pass flawed legislation which directly contributed to the deaths of over 60,000 Americans last year?

Stand for the Troops has long argued that the employment merry-go-round between government and lobbyists destroys the very foundations of our democracy. Wasn’t it President Eisenhower who warned against the evil of the military industrial complex?

Over the years, SFTT has highlighted this lethal yet symbiotic relationship between government officials and lobbyists in the following areas:

military body armor;

military helmets;

psychotic drug testing;

agent orange coverup;

the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (almost everywhere you turn);

opioids and PTSD/TBI programs by the VA

I could list another dozen or so conflictive programs, but the fact remains that no one is likely to be held accountable for his or her actions. Furthermore, our government will merrily provide the culprits that fueled the opioid crisis – or stood on the sidelines watching it evolve – with additional money to “fix the problem.”

This closed loop of collective incompetence and culpable negligence is a self-sustaining blight on the lives of so many brave men and women who have served our country so valiantly. I would like to tell you that the public is fed up, but who do you turn to?

Found below are a few military news items that caught my attention this past week. I am hopeful that the titles and short commentary will encourage SFTT readers to click on the embedded links to read more on subjects that may be of interest to them.

If you have subjects of topical interest, please do not hesitate to reach out. Contact SFTT at info@sftt.org.

North Korea Steal Military Documents from South Korea
A South Korean lawmaker says North Korea computer hackers stole hundreds of secret military documents from South Korea. The documents are said to include plans for destroying the North Korean leadership if a war takes place. The South Korean official, Lee Cheol-Hee, is a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the National Defense Committee. He said on Tuesday that defense officials talked about the stolen documents. Officials believe North Korean hackers were able to see classified military documents stored at a South Korean defense data center. The attackers reportedly gained control of the documents in September 2016. Read more . . .

Vast Majority of Americans in their 20s Unfit for Military Service
The military is facing a growing recruiting crisis: 71% of Americans between 17 and 24 can’t meet the minimum criteria for service, which places the burden of service on an ever-small and shrinking pool of troops with a family history of joining the military. At an Oct. 12 Heritage Foundation panel in Washington, D.C., Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and former Air Force one-star general told attendees “the single most important ingredient to readiness is the constant flow of willing volunteers.” Read more . . .

How the VA Contributed to the Prescription Drugs Epidemic
. . . the Department of Veterans Affairs has played a little-discussed role in fueling the opioid epidemic that is killing civilians and veterans alike. In 2011, veterans were twice as likely to die from accidental opioid overdoses as non-veterans. One reason, as an exhaustive Newsweek investigation—based on this reporter’s book, Mental Health, Inc.—found, is that for over a decade, the VA recklessly overprescribed opiates and psychiatric medications. Since mid-2012, though, it has swung dangerously in the other direction, ordering a drastic cutback of opioids for chronic pain patients, but it is bungling that program and again putting veterans at risk. (It has also left untouched one of the riskiest classes of medications, antipsychotics—prescribed overwhelmingly for uses that aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), such as with post-traumatic stress disorder.) Read more . . .

Treating PTSD with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
There is a real appeal to shouting into the void: the ubiquity of Google search as confessional, the popularity of PostSecret, the draw of confiding in a trusted friend with the hope verging on understanding that our secrets won’t be shared all point to this. A group of researchers from the University of Southern California, with funding from the DARPA wing of the Department of Defense, believe that desire might drive a preference among veterans with PTSD to anonymously discuss their symptoms with a computerized avatar. Read more . . .

Veterans Advocate for Congressional Action on Service Dogs
Veterans’ advocates are urging Congress to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) support organizations that provide service dogs to veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and other conditions. The Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans held a press conference Tuesday with members of Congress to advocate for the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act (PAWS Act), which would provide $25,000 grants for eligible organizations to train and pair service dogs with a veteran. The bill would also prompt the VA to launch a pilot program looking at the links between service dogs and mental health. Read more . . .

Drop me an email at info@sftt.org if you believe that there are other subjects that are newsworthy.

It is easy to find fault with the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”), particularly when it comes to Veterans with PTSD.

Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, tried to employ body count statistics to assess our progress in the war in Vietnam. Similarly, the VA has erected a statistical house-of-cards to deceive Veterans and their loved that the VA has the answers for Veterans coping with PTSD and TBI.

Like McNamara, the VA “knows what is best for Veterans” and has erected insurmountable statistical barriers to prop up their failed strategies. In effect, the VA is telling Veterans: “It is my way or the highway!”

Paraphrasing a joke: “The VA uses statistics as a drunk uses a lamppost — For support rather than illumination.”

Sadly, it is no laughing matter when we consider the thousands of combat Veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI. More importantly, reflect on the often tragic consequences for their families and loved ones.

While Congress and the public continue to be seduced by the steady stream of assurances that the VA provides the best possible care to Veterans with PTSD and TBI, the FACTS tell a far different story.

FAKE NEWS from the VA on Veterans with PTSD

Found below is a video of Dr. David Cifu, Senior TBI Specialist at the VA, testifying before a Congressional Committee:

As these “therapy” programs have failed miserably according to independent studies (see below), the VA has “coped” with the problem by prescribing a lethal concoction of prescription drugs which treat the symptoms of PTSD rather than deal with the underlying problem.

And we wonder why we have an opioid epidemic in this country?

REALITY CHECK at the VA

While Dr. David Cifu continues to entertain a Congressional Committee on the efficacy of the VA’s protocols, experience for yourself one woman’s harrowing experience with the VA which eventually led to husband’s suicide:

The story of Kimi Bivins is not the exception to the type of treatment Veterans with PTSD receive at the VA. Based on many similar stories, the VA is failing our Veterans and their loved ones.

Standing behind a well-entrenched bureaucracy of statistical inaccuracies and dogma, the VA goes out of its way to discredit other treatment alternatives. Consider this bitter “scientific” debate between Dr. Cifu and Dr. Paul Harch on the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT in treating PTSD and TBI.

Finding a Middle Ground for Veterans with PTSD?

With so little known about the brain and how to treat trauma, it seems absurd for the VA to insist that they have all the answers. The evidence clearly suggests that the VA doesn’t have a clue.

Nevertheless, the VA argues that “alternative therapies” that do not pass scientific scrutiny and FDA approval will not be endorsed by the VA. As we have seen countless times – from body armor testing to hyperbaric oxygen studies – the DoD uses test protocols that deviate from accepted standards.

If the tests are flawed, one is likely to draw the wrong conclusions!

For the vast majority of Veterans with limited economic means, the VA is effectively making life and death decisions based on flawed testing and a reluctance to embrace other treatment alternatives.

This is probably done with the intent of protecting Veterans from charlatans and snake oil peddlers, but doesn’t it also block Veterans from receiving promising therapies from legitimate sources?

When dogma or “approved” therapies become the LAW, then it seems unlikely that much progress will be made to help our brave Veterans recover their lives. The VA would do well to encourage Veterans to seek alternative therapies and provide an interactive sounding board for Veterans to voice their opinions on these programs.

Honesty and transparency and a willingness to accept mistakes is the sign of a responsive institution. Today, the VA hides behind a dogma based on self-delusion and falsehood.